Wichita State wonders who’s next at setter as volleyball opens 2018 season
Being a setter for coach Chris Lamb at Wichita State has been a pretty good gig over the years.
Shocker setters have been chosen first-team all-conference every year but one since 2005. The last decade alone has produced perhaps the three best setters in program history in Mary Elizabeth Hooper (2008-11), Chelsey Feekin (2012-13), and Emily Hiebert (2014-17).
But now Hiebert’s place in Shocker history is finalized, Lamb hopes to find his next great setter as WSU opens its season with a 3-games-in-4-days road swing along the East coast starting with Friday’s 6 p.m. match against James Madison.
“Emily was all we could have ever wanted and more in a setter,” Lamb said. “But I’ve been saying this for years now, somebody had to replace Babe Ruth in right field for the Yankees and I think the Yankees have been just fine. That’s where we’re at. We’re going to be fine and we’re moving on.”
For the first time since 2005, WSU may split the work at setter.
Kali Eaken is likely to get the first chance. A senior transfer from Louisville, Ky., Eaken has the most experience and brings stability to the position. But the potential of 6-foot-2 redshirt freshman Kora Kauling is too much to keep off the court and junior Jordan Roberts has played her way into the rotation with her consistency this summer.
“It’s been very competitive so far in practices,” Kauling said. “I’ve gotten better really quickly because I’ve been pushed by my other teammates. Kali and Jordan have motivated me and I think overall it’s been beneficial to all of us fighting for this spot because we’re all pushing each other and making each other better.”
The biggest adjustment for every setter entering Lamb’s system is learning the terminology.
As Kauling discovered last season during her redshirt year, Lamb has a name for everything. So while players may be familiar with the play Lamb wants to run, they have to remember names like “red dummy” and “setting twins.”
“A lot of them are strange names like that that you have to remember,” Kauling said. “It’s like things you didn’t know had a name, but now suddenly they do here.”
Whoever is the one on the court setting will have plenty of options.
Tabitha Brown earned honorable-mention All-American status last season for her work on the outside. Alex Koon and Emma Wright each have starting experience and have been reliable hitters so far this summer. Then there are the rising prospects for WSU waiting their turn in Megan Taflinger, Regan Stiawalt, Abby Pugh, and Chase Jackson.
Despite heavy graduation losses, WSU was still predicted to win the American Athletic Conference this season.
“It’s a lot of new stuff for the setters,” Brown said. “They’ve done it in practice, but now they’re front-of-the-line setters and all eyes are on them. I think once they get comfortable and step into that role, then we’re going to see great things from them.”
“There’s no doubt we have a lot of firepower on the team this year,” Kauling added. “I always feel like whoever is in there, I’ve got great options to go to and that’s going to be a great strength for this team.”
WSU continues its road swing with a 2 p.m. Sunday match at Howard and a 4 p.m. Monday match against VCU.
Scouting James Madison
James Madison has won back-to-back Colonial Athletic Association titles and is the preseason favorite to win its third straight conference title. The Dukes finished 23-6 last season and return essentially their entire starting lineup. The team’s standouts are 6-4 middle blocker M’Kaela White, who was chosen preseason all-conference, and outside hitter Bryn Recker, who led the team with 366 kills on a .240 hitting percentage.
Scouting Howard
Howard finished 16-16 last season but rallied to win the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament for the third straight year. Howard is predicted to finish second in its division this season in the MEAC. The Bison return four starters from last season, but must replace their top two hitters, who accounted for nearly half the team’s offensive production.
Scouting VCU
VCU is coming off its best season in program history, as 2017 saw the Rams finish 30-3, go undefeated in Atlantic-10 play, build a 27-match win streak, and make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in more than a decade. VCU returns five starters from last season and is the unanimous pick to win the A-10 title again. VCU’s players to watch will be 6-3 senior middle blocker Tori Baldwin and junior outside hitter Vicky Giommarini.